Grammys: Rich harvest for Kanye West, Amy Winehouse

Los Angeles: Kanye West and Amy Winehouse, the two leading Grammy nominees and perhaps the night's most compelling storylines, were among the early winners on Sunday, taking three and two trophies respectively in the pre-telecast ceremony.
West won best rap solo performance for Stronger, best rap song for Good Life and best rap performance by a duo or group for his collaboration with Common on Southside. Winehouse, the troubled British singer-songwriter, won best pop vocal album for Back to Black and best female pop vocal.
Bruce Springsteen garnered three Grammys, including best rock song for Radio Nowhere. Other early winners included the White Stripes, Justin Timberlake and Mary J Blige, who both had two each; Carrie Underwood, the Foo Fighters, Herbie Hancock, and even Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for best spoken-word album.
Though the pre-telecast ceremony, where most of the Grammys' 110 categories are doled out, is usually low on star-wattage, there were several big names on hand to accept their Grammys, including Underwood, the Foos, and Brad Paisley.
"You couldn't keep me from actually getting this myself. It's not the same when someone else gets this on your behalf," said Underwood, who ran to the stage to accept her trophy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her revenge anthem Before He Cheats.
Performers for the 50th edition of the Grammys include Beyoncé, Tina Turner, Rihanna, Alicia Keys and the Foo Fighters with Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones.
This year, the Grammys are being hand out in 110 separate categories, from Record of the Year to Best Hawaiian Music Album.
West was the night's leading nominee with eight nods: He has a history, good or bad, of creating memorable awards show moments. But Winehouse — who was not even able to attend — threatened to upstage him and everyone else on Grammy night.
Winehouse was up for six awards, including album of the year for Back to Black. She was due to perform via satellite from a studio her native Britain, where she is being treated in a rehabilitation centre for substance abuse.
In the days leading up to the ceremony, suspense was building whether the 24-year-old, whose personal life has fallen apart over the past year as her career blossomed, would be at the ceremony in any form.